Consequence
by TrippNessa
Summary: Ken walked with purpose back to his parent's apartment where his boyfriend was currently hiding. After being trapped all alone with a sick Motomiya Jun for many hours, Daisuke having run off to seek refuge at the Ichijouji household, Ken had decided quite firmly that there would be consequences for this.
1. The Great Escape

**Consequence** Chapter 1: The Great Escape

Summary: Ken walked with purpose back to his parent's apartment where his boyfriend was currently hiding. After being trapped all alone with a sick Motomiya Jun for many hours, Daisuke having run off to seek refuge at the Ichijouji household, Ken had decided quite firmly that there would be consequences for this.

Pairing: Daisuke x Ken

Rating: Mature - Swearing, Sexual teasing, Comedy

Author's Note: After re-watching the scene in Diablomon Strikes Back where Ken teases Daisuke about his soccer skills, I decided to finally write this. I've always wanted to play around with the idea of Ken punishing Daisuke for something by being a huge tease. He might be a cute and cuddly little thing in public, but get him alone and you've got another thing coming. This fic will have some sexual themes in chapter 2, but nothing entirely explicit.

* * *

Daisuke burst out of his bedroom with a loud _bang_! His door flew open and slammed against the wall, bouncing back and nearly smacking into him as he raced down the hallway in just his boxers. He tugged his jeans up at the same time as he ran, causing him to trip over the loose pant legs. Daisuke stumbled and had to grab onto the wall to keep himself upright. With a growl, he yanked the pants all the way up and hastily fastened the buckle, not bothering to tuck in the blue and white striped t-shirt that he forced over his head after that.

When a hoarse cough came from further down the hall behind him, Daisuke's eyes widened with terror - there wasn't much time left! He bolted into the living room as quickly as he could, rushing to grab his keys and wallet off the coffee table. However, to his dismay they weren't there.

"Damn it…!" Daisuke hissed under his breath and ran over to the couch to tear the cushions off. His speed increased and his desperation doubled as he heard a shuffling noise coming from his sister's room. To his great relief though, he heard a jingling sound as the last cushion was pulled away and his keys fell to the carpet along with his wallet.

After putting the cushions back on sideways, upside down and in the wrong order, Daisuke grabbed his belongings and raced over to the front door. Hearing his sister leaving her bedroom with another painful sounding cough sent a terrified chill up his spine. It distracted him and he didn't slow down quite soon enough to stop himself from running face-first into the door.

With a wince and a grunt, Daisuke twisted the lock and yanked the door open, running out into the hallway outside. He was just about to shut it and run for his life when he realized that he was still in his socks. He was making too many mistakes! He needed to get it together!

Daisuke opened the door just enough to reach his arm inside and yank his shoes off the shoe rack, and then he closed the door as quietly as he could. For a split second he thought he heard Jun's voice, so he didn't waste any time. Instead of putting his shoes on, he ran down the hall in just his socks and turned at the first opportunity he could. He ended up in a dead-end hallway that didn't lead to the elevators, but as long as he was out of sight it didn't really matter.

"Daisuke?" Jun called out for him, her voice scratchy and whining. She seemed to go back inside after that though, based on the sound of a door closing.

Daisuke stuffed his feet into one of his shoes with a massive sigh of relief, checking to make sure that his shadow wouldn't be visible to anyone in the main hallway. He heard the elevator _ding_ from further down, and someone walk by for a flash of a second, but he wasn't really paying attention. He needed to get the hell out of there before it was too late!

There was a quiet knock on a door from somewhere close by, followed by someone clearing their throat. Both sounded familiar, and Daisuke only had to think about it for a second before his entire body froze and his blood ran cold. He dropped the second shoe that he'd been preparing to pull on. He knew that cough! And the way they had knocked was the same as… That was…!

Sure enough, as Daisuke peeked back around the corner he found Ken standing in front of his apartment as he knocked on it for a second time. Before Daisuke could do anything though, the door was swinging open as Jun answered it.

"No…!" Daisuke lamented. He tried to say it loudly enough for his boyfriend to hear him but not his sister. "Abort, abort…!" He waved his arms wildly in hopes of getting Ken's attention without Jun taking notice, but it was already too late.

"Oh, _Ken!_ " she gushed and sounded relieved. "I'm _so_ glad you're here!"

"Hello," Ken smiled politely and nodded as he stepped inside. Daisuke held his arm out as though he thought he could somehow grab Ken with psychic powers and yank him backward.

"Yeah, I feel _horrible_ today! You wouldn't believe-!" Jun's voice was cut off as the apartment door was shut with a loud _click_.

Oh no. _Ohhhhhh_ no, no, no…! Ken was gonna _kill him_ if he didn't get him out of there soon! Being in the same household with a sick and needy Motomiya Jun was already bad enough, but it was even _worse_ if you were all alone with her!

When Daisuke had first woken up that morning he hadn't been too nervous about it. As soon as he'd heard Jun hacking and wheezing in her room though, he'd completely forgotten that Ken was coming over that day. The horrible memories of past experiences with his sick sister came rushing back, and the terrified urge to escape before she could latch onto him had taken over.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, _shit_ …!" Daisuke cursed under his breath as he hopped on one foot back toward the apartment, finally pulling on that second shoe. Once he was in front of the door he put his ear up to it so he could listen inside.

"... can't find… anywhere…" Jun's voice filtered through the crack in the door.

"... looking… bedroom?" Ken seemed to respond, though Daisuke wasn't sure what he was talking about. He heard footsteps though, followed by what sounded like a door opening and closing. Were they in Jun's room now?

Daisuke braved opening the door, though he did it very, _very_ slowly. He peeked inside, and to his great relief he found that the living room was empty. He didn't remove his shoes as he tiptoed around the door and silently shut it again. Instead he looked around the apartment, it's clean and sunny appearance giving off a false sense of security.

Okay… He needed to come up with a plan before he got caught in the clutches of a sickly Jun for the _rest of his life_ , and he needed to do it _quickly_! Easy enough, right? If they were in her room, then he could probably-

Suddenly he heard someone walking back out toward the living room. After looking around wildly for a place to hide, Daisuke did the only thing he could think of and leapt behind the couch. He scrambled to get his feet out of view just as Jun and Ken came around the corner from the hallway to the bedrooms.

"Well I didn't see his keys or his wallet in there, so maybe they're out here?" Ken asked as he walked over by the coffee table from the sounds of it.

"I think he ran off before I could-!" Jun began her response in a scratchy voice, but she cut herself off with a loud and painful sounding cough.

Ken hummed in thought, "You're _certain_ that you heard him just a few minutes ago?"

"Definitely!" Jun replied immediately. "I heard his bedroom door bang open and now he's just _nowhere_! And his stuff is gone, too! Oh, I can't _believe_ he just left me when I'm not feeling well! And look at these couch cushions, jeez! But at least _you're_ here, Ken!"

"... Indeed," Ken's voice dropped in a way that made Daisuke's face go pale. He knew that tone… That was the way he talked whenever Daisuke was in trouble!

After another bout of coughing, Jun's hoarse voice went back to sounding excited. "I just need a little bit of help, that's all. Could you call my parents for me so they know why I'm missing classes today? My phone's in my room. It would be _really_ helpful if you did..."

Daisuke cringed at the way she trailed off sadly. He could practically see her puppy dog eyes through the couch.

"I suppose..." Ken sighed and trailed off, and then the two of them headed back down the hallway toward the bedrooms. "But I really can't stay too long-"

"Oh don't worry!" Jun assured him, though Daisuke knew it was a filthy, horrible lie. "I won't need much else after that. It's just kind of painful to talk right now, and my mom _never_ shuts up! Man… I can't _believe_ Daisuke didn't tell you I was sick last night!"

"Neither can I," Ken said stiffly, the passive aggressive tone in his voice lacing his words poisonously.

Daisuke swallowed hard and put his hands over his face in dismay. He'd completely forgotten to text his boyfriend the night before with a warning not to come anywhere near the apartment for the next week. Everyone knew that if Jun was sick, then they needed to meet him outside instead. He could have _sworn_ he'd said something to Ken, but looking back on it now, he realized that he'd fallen asleep early on accident.

He was in _so much_ trouble...

Alright, he needed to think fast! What could he do to get Ken away from Jun long enough for both of them to escape the apartment? It needed to be something that would only draw Ken's attention and not his sister's too. They were probably on the phone right now, but after that he could try and make a break for it with Ken!

But… Damn it… What was something that Ken would recognize but Jun wouldn't? If he sent him a text message then his sister would just hear the notification on Ken's phone, and she'd start asking all kinds of annoying questions. She'd probably assume it was from Daisuke too, so that option was out. If he made too much noise then she'd come storming out of the bedroom to see if it was him, so that was out too.

Wait… He could write Ken a note and then fold it up into a paper airplane! His aim was pretty good after years of doing it in class. He could just wait for a time when Jun's back was turned or while she was busy doing something else. It was perfect!

Daisuke darted through the swinging doors that lead into the kitchen. He pulled out some paper and a pencil from the drawer that his mother kept her stationary in, and then he began scribbling out a note as fast as he could.

' _Talk about lavender, she'll think of her new shampoo and want to take a shower. Works every time. Then you can escape while she's not looking. HURRY!_ '

Daisuke finished the letter, but he didn't get the chance to fold it up before he heard Jun's bedroom door opening again. His eyes widened and he quickly crawled underneath the kitchen table that was pushed up against the wall beneath the window. He pulled his knees up to his chest and held his breath as they entered the room a few seconds later.

"You're so nice, Ken!" Jun said and then cleared her throat. "Thanks for agreeing to stay until my parents get home!"

"Yeah… Um…" Ken trailed off with a sigh. "That's… I'm not entirely sure that's what I said..."

Daisuke cringed and ran his hands through his hair. She'd used her word-twisting skills this early on?! That didn't normally happen until at least a couple hours in! Jun must really not be feeling well to play cards like that so quickly. She was off her game! Maybe he could use this… Maybe it meant she'd get distracted more easily!

"Wow, I'm _hungry_!" Jun groaned and ignored Ken's comment completely, her voice suddenly sounding depressed. "My knees are really achey though… Could you make me something so I don't have to stand on them for too long?"

When Ken didn't immediately respond, Jun continued even more sadly than before, "Could you help me get comfortable out on the couch first though? The blankets are on the top shelf in the closet and they're really hard to reach…"

Ken eventually sighed, "Alright... The hallway closet?"

"Yeah!" Jun's voice perked up, though it was just as hoarse as it ever was. "Thank you _so much_! You're the best for helping me out like this while my parents are at work and Daisuke's gone! Where do you think he ran off to?"

Daisuke rolled his eyes. Man, Jun just didn't stop talking… Not even when she was sick!

"I don't know where he went…" Ken seemed to grit his teeth as they made their way back out into the living room. "But I _will_ find out."

Daisuke bit his lip and crawled out from beneath the table as soon as they left the room, his hands and knees treading carefully over the floor. The kitchen door was swinging open and closed from the force that Ken had used to move it out of his way as he'd followed behind Jun.

Yep, he was dead.

Daisuke quickly opened the letter back up and added to the bottom, ' _I'M REALLY SORRY! I fell asleep last night, please don't tell her I'm here! I love you!_ ' As soon as his desperate apology was done and he'd managed to draw a big heart on the bottom of the note, he folded the paper up into the best airplane that he could manage while in such a hurry. It wasn't the greatest one he'd ever made, but it would have to do.

Daisuke looked up at the door that was still swinging, though it wasn't moving as much anymore. He could see Ken's back through the crack as it opened, but not Jun. He'd be taking a chance if he threw it now, but if he knew his sister at all then she was probably gathering herself on the couch. The odds were in his favor that she wasn't looking.

With a deep breath, Daisuke crossed his fingers for good luck and then he threw the airplane as soon as the door was swinging shut again. It soared at just the right speed to sail through the crack as it re-opened, and then smack into the back of his boyfriend's right shoulder.

Ken spun around to see what had hit him, and his eyes immediately met with Daisuke's on the kitchen floor. The door swung shut, and as soon as it reopened Daisuke felt his breath catch in his throat and his chest tighten up. Ken's expression and gone from confused to ice cold in the half-second it had taken for the door to swing shut for the very last time. It moved no more, and neither did Daisuke.

Oh no… What had that look meant? Would Ken rat him out to Jun as punishment for his mistake? What if Ken was really mad and didn't even read the note?!

Desperate not to get caught, Daisuke scrambled up to his feet and ran into the pantry closet where Ken wouldn't immediately know he'd moved to. He closed the door as quietly as he could as he squeezed himself between it and the shelves, hoping to stall his capture for as long as possible. He'd come too far already! He couldn't get caught now!

The sound of the kitchen door banging open again and Ken stomping inside made Daisuke squeak in surprise. He immediately cursed under his breath at his mistake and covered his mouth with his hand. Before he could even contemplate whether Ken had heard him or not, the pantry door was flying open. Daisuke was met with the same icy expression on his boyfriend's face from just a few seconds ago, with the note unfolded in his grasp. Ken put his hands on his hips after that, signaling that Daisuke had just a few seconds left to somehow convince him not to tell Jun who had been hiding around the house all this time.

"Please!" Daisuke whispered and made a heart shape with his fingers. "I'm sorry!" When Ken merely raised an eyebrow, Daisuke gasped. "No, no, no!" Daisuke put his hands together as though he was praying and then placed them in front of his lips, cringing and shaking his head furiously. "Baby, I love you! _Please don't tell her_!"

"Don't you ' _baby_ 'me!" Ken hissed under his breath. "She told her parents that I _promised_ someone would stay with her until they get home at _five o'clock tonight_!"

"I know, I know!" Daisuke pleaded as quietly as possible.

"Oh, _you know_ , do you?" Ken asked as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Then I take it you _know_ she had a fight with her friend last night? She's sure excited to tell me all about it after I make her some food, _Daisuke_!"

With a gasp of horror, Daisuke threw his hands back over his mouth. Jun gossiping angrily about friends…! It would be _hours_ before she stopped once she got into it! Ken might _never_ leave if she got really aggressive about it!

"W-We can still escape together!" Daisuke put his hands on Ken's shoulders and squeezed. "Come on! We can climb down the fire escape while she's not looking!" He motioned with his head over to the balcony by the kitchen table.

"Oh no you don't!" Ken stiffened at his boyfriend's touch. "I don't want my reputation with your family to suffer because I bailed on my so-called _promise_. They don't know about our relationship yet, and I'm not making myself look bad before we get around to telling them. _Someone_ is staying here with her, _baby_ , so give me one good reason why it should be me."

Daisuke bit his lip. He tried to think of something - _anything_ \- that he could use to convince Ken to let him leave. However, absolutely nothing was coming to mind. Really, who would ever _choose_ to stay home with Motomiya Jun while she was sick?

"Ken-chan…" Daisuke hugged his boyfriend desperately. "I'll do _anything_ you ask tonight and all day tomorrow if you let me go!"

Ken's parents were out of town until late Sunday, and since it was currently Saturday afternoon, that should have meant they'd have the whole day and then all night together with total privacy. They'd planned to take full advantage of the lack of supervision, but Daisuke had a sinking suspicion that no such intimate activities would be happening at this rate…

"Ken…!" Daisuke whimpered. "You don't know what she's like!"

"I _very strongly_ disagree with that," Ken sighed without hugging him back, though his shoulders sagged a bit in some sort of defeat. Had he taken pity on him?!

The sound of the kitchen door opening again caused Daisuke to leap back into the pantry.

"Everything okay?" Jun asked, coughing pathetically afterward.

Daisuke stiffened up and closed his eyes. This was it… Ken would either sell him out to Jun and then leave him there to deal with her all by himself until his parents got home from work, or he'd take him up on his offer. Daisuke prayed desperately that it would be the latter.

"Huh?" Ken faked his confusion as he looked over at her in the kitchen doorway. "Oh, I'm fine. Just deciding which soup to make for you."

"Oh!" Jun giggled and her voice got quieter as she walked back out to the living room. "Thanks, Ken! You're the best!"

"Oh my god _thank you_!" Daisuke whispered and went to hug his boyfriend again, but Ken stepped out of his grasp just in time.

"Get out of here before I change my mind…" Ken sighed as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the keys to his parent's place. After fixing his hair real fast, he handed them out for Daisuke to take. "And don't forget… you said _anything_!"

Daisuke gulped and took the keys. "Anything."


	2. Sugar Coated

**Consequence** Chapter 02: Sugar Coated

Author's Note: This chapter is full of sexual teasing and innuendos because I like the idea of Ken getting feisty in the face of Daisuke's bullshit lol. I really don't know if there's anything quite explicit enough to label it as NSFW...? It's certainly skirting the line though, so for that reason I made sure to at least label it Mature. Don't say I didn't warn you!

* * *

Ken exited the elevator with an exhausted sigh. He made his way toward his parent's apartment as he combed through his hair with his fingers. He'd had the entire train ride back from Odaiba to Tamachi to think about it, and he was almost completely certain that he'd never experienced a slower five hour period of time in his entire life. It felt like an entire day had just passed by, and it was only just starting to hit dinner time now.

He had mixed feelings about it all. On the one hand he could get Daisuke to make dinner for the two of them _and_ do the dishes afterward. Not to mention he could also get him to rub his back for as long as he wanted. As great as those things were though, he couldn't help wondering if it had been worth it or not.

Ken was pretty sure that Jun had never stopped talking for more than a single minute at any point during his stay with her. How someone that sick could possibly talk _that much_ was beyond his comprehension. Whenever he didn't feel well, the last thing he wanted to do was interact with other people. Her voice had been hoarse the entire time, and she'd been coughing constantly. No matter how many times Ken urged her to just rest though, she could never seem to do it. The constant chatter had been extremely draining.

Maybe he'd been too nice with the Motomiya siblings, but he just couldn't help it. Their family had always been a soft spot for him. Jun had looked so happy to have someone stay there with her, and Daisuke had looked absolutely _desperate_ to get away. As exhausting as it had been, and as frustrated as he was with his boyfriend, it didn't change the fact that Ken had still been the one to let Daisuke go in the end.

Ken always took up opportunities to improve his relationship with the Motomiyas. It was very important to him that when he and Daisuke finally came out, that he hadn't already given them any reasons to not support their relationship. Maybe if they really liked Ken by that point, they could learn to accept their decision more easily. The same was true for his own family, though he was less concerned about them. After everything they had been through together, he felt fairly confident that his mother and father would only wish for his happiness.

Ken grabbed the doorknob to his parent's apartment as soon as he reached it, turning it and opening the unlocked door. He found Daisuke sitting on the couch watching TV for just a second or two before looking up at Ken. Immediately Daisuke seemed nervous and he shut off the television.

Daisuke stood up while Ken slipped off his shoes and put on a pair of indoor slippers. Ken locked the door behind him after that, and then he walked over to his nervous boyfriend.

"Hey…" Daisuke said sheepishly as he wrapped his arms around Ken's waist. "Have I ever told you how amazing you are? And how much I love you? And how great the dinner I just made for us is going to be? And how I'll rub your back for as long as you like? And that you can totally pick the movie we watch later?"

Daisuke leaned in to give Ken a gentle kiss, having grown to roughly the same height as him as soon as he'd hit his growth spurt many years ago. Ken couldn't help but smile against him, remembering the way Daisuke had whined about not managing to grow taller than Ken over the years. He'd been so close, too.

"Trying to lessen your punishment I see," Ken teased as he kissed back more firmly, the smell of his favorite ramen floating in from the kitchen.

Daisuke hummed contently into the contact, and after a moment or two he let his lips trail light kisses along Ken's neck and down into the crook of his neck. Ken sighed and felt all of his anger fading away. If only it didn't feel so good when he did that...

"I hate it…" Ken grumbled, letting his hands rest comfortably on his boyfriend's hips. "You make it impossible to stay mad at you..."

"Mmm… but then you _don't_ hate it…" Daisuke nuzzled into Ken's neck more and laughed softly. Ken couldn't help but shiver at the vibrations and the warm breath against his sensitive skin. His neck had always been his weak spot, but he knew where Daisuke's was too.

Ken turned his head so that he could nip gently at the skin just beneath Daisuke's ear, earning a hiss of pleasure from him. Before Daisuke could get too riled up though, Ken pulled away and walked into the kitchen. He could hear a sigh of disappointment from behind him, but he ignored it.

Daisuke was clearly hoping that their original plans for the night hadn't been cancelled by Jun's lengthy interruption. Ken smiled to himself, not letting the other boy see it. He had every intention of following through with that still, since they rarely got opportunities like this. His mother was always home these days, so his apartment was rarely a source of privacy for them. However, that didn't mean he wouldn't be making Daisuke earn it now.

Feeling quite exhausted and hungry after dealing with Jun for so long, Ken decided that eating earlier than he normally would sounded like a great idea. He walked into the kitchen and was just about to dish himself up, when Daisuke suddenly ran over to grab a bowl out of the cupboard.

"Here, let me get it for you," Daisuke urged with a bright smile. "I owe you!"

Ken smiled back and kissed Daisuke gently on the temple, walking over to the table after that and sitting down patiently.

The two of them ate dinner slowly, their pace lagged down by idle chatter. Ken could tell without a shred of a doubt that Daisuke was hoping to win him over before the meal was done, not so much because of the sex from the looks of it, but more in hopes of at least getting out of trouble. He couldn't deny that his boyfriend's sunny behavior and friendliness was having quite an effect on him. It was frustrating. Daisuke's bubbly personality was almost enough to make Ken forget all about the horrific last five hours he'd been put through.

What Daisuke wasn't taking into consideration though, was the fact that Jun's argument with her friend had been over them both liking the same boy. Ken was positive that even Miyako talking about her love life was less tedious than the two hour, nonstop rant that Jun had forced him to suffer through.

His loveable boyfriend would _not_ be getting off so easily.

"Let me clean up the dishes!" Daisuke offered once they were done eating, already gathering up their bowls, cups and chopsticks.

Ken smiled up at Daisuke and did his best to hide his true intentions. "Alright, but before you start cleaning them, come sit on the couch with me."

Before Daisuke could respond, Ken had already left the kitchen and made his way over to the television. He popped open a DVD that was sitting on the coffee table, and then he placed the disk inside the player. He kept the TV turned off though, so that Daisuke wouldn't see what he'd put in just yet.

"Did you want to watch something?" Daisuke asked as he sat down, Ken taking the seat beside him after picking up the remote. Now that they were both sitting down, he turned on the TV. The menu for Daisuke's history lesson played on a loop, with the options to either play the movie or adjust the settings floating in the center of the screen. Ken could think of no better _reward_ for his boyfriend's little scheme than to make him study _extra hard_ for his upcoming test.

Daisuke blinked at the television and then leaned his head back against the headrest of the couch with a deep sigh.

"You told me you needed to study this stuff, remember?" Ken asked sweetly, sugar coating his words. "You're turning the movie back in on Monday and then you have a test, so you'd better get busy!"

Ken turned and laughed at the pouty scowl on Daisuke's face, whose expression answered the question quite efficiently. Without another word, Ken hit play and nuzzled up against Daisuke's side on the couch. He rested his head on his shoulder and relaxed, greatly enjoying Daisuke's scent and warmth. Ken loved to cuddle. Physical contact was something that he normally avoided if possible, but Daisuke had always been an exception to that rule. That had been true even before Daisuke's stammered confession years ago, having been staying the night at the Ichijouji household one fateful Saturday. Ken had been left speechless and flustered, and rather than trying to voice his feelings back, he'd simply kissed Daisuke instead.

As the documentary started playing, Daisuke began gently rubbing Ken's back. His fingers crawled under the bottom of his shirt and over bare skin, quickly encouraging him to drift off into a half conscious state. Ken did his best to stay awake, but it wasn't easy after how exhausting the last many hours of his day had been. Soon enough he had draped himself over Daisuke's lap so that more of his back could be accessed. He reached up and pulled one of the pillows over for him to rest his head on after that, and then he let himself doze off.

When Ken woke back up a little while later, he could see that the video was nearly over. He rubbed his sleepy eyes, stretched his limbs and sat back up. When he looked over at Daisuke though, he found his boyfriend's eyes to be half open. He seemed to be spacing out with a glassy look on his face, his mind clearly having gone elsewhere.

" _Daisuke_ ," Ken demanded, feeling frustrated all over again.

Daisuke gasped and shook his head. "Wh-What? I was paying attention!"

Ken's eyes narrowed as he quickly paused the video with the remote. "Oh yeah? Then what is it talking about right now?"

Daisuke froze up and stared at him with wide, guilty eyes. "Um…" He flashed his gaze over to the TV for a second before swallowing and looking back. He grinned awkwardly and rubbed his neck. "They're talking about inns…?"

"No," Ken said flatly and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You only said that because I paused while it happened to be showing a scene taking place in an old inn. Why is it showing that?" If Daisuke thought he was going to get away with guessing the answer, he was about to be sorely mistaken.

"B-Because…!" Daisuke blinked rapidly. "There's um… something important going on there?"

Ken closed his eyes and was about to scold him for not caring about his education enough, when an idea suddenly crossed his mind. It caused a tiny smirk to tug at the edges of his mouth and his eyes to open slowly. Daisuke seemed confused by the sudden change of expression on Ken's face, and that reaction only made it better.

Alright, Daisuke had it coming now. Ken had been willing to let him off with just an hour of extra study, but after that...

" _Dai-chan_ …" Ken purred as he crawled forward and straddled over Daisuke's lap, who gasped and froze. Ken's lips grazed gently over his ear, and he lifted up the tone of his voice sweetly. "Can you tell me what that important thing was…?"

"Wh-Wha…?!" Daisuke was suddenly a lot more flustered than before. He reached over to try and grab the remote off the couch, probably to rewind the video and watch the scene over again, but Ken kicked it onto the floor with his foot.

"Now, now, love…" Ken whispered into Daisuke's ear some more, earning a hiss and a shudder in response. "You'll just have to remember on your own, since you were paying _so much attention_ to the video." Ken let his voice ooze with deceptive softness.

Daisuke groaned and started moving his hands up, most likely to try and touch Ken somewhere. Before he could manage it though, Ken grabbed his wrists and moved them back down to the couch on either side of his hips. "You don't get to do any of _that_ until you answer my questions correctly, my dear," Ken explained, nuzzling his nose into the crook of Daisuke's neck.

Daisuke visibly paled and his eyes shot open again. "But…! B-But I don't remember! I'm a liar and I wasn't paying attention at all!"

"Oh no…!" Ken trailed off with fake remorse. He adjusted and started trying to stand up so he could leave. "Well then I guess I'll just have to go, and-"

Daisuke quickly grabbed Ken's hips and pulled him back down over his lap. He shook his head with _much_ enthusiasm. "No, no, no! I can remember! Um…!" he trailed off as he bit his lower lip and frowned in thought. "Someone important was at the inn. It was this, uh… political guy named… Ryoma?"

"Ryoma _what_?" Ken whispered and licked the sensitive skin just below Daisuke's earlobe. "What was his given name?"

"S-Saka…!" Daisuke shivered at the touch as he tried desperately to remember the name. "Sakamoto! R-Ryoma Sakamoto!"

"Mmmm…" Ken moaned softly and reached up to undo the top two buttons on his own shirt. He stopped there, and then went back to Daisuke's ear. "And who was he?"

Daisuke's breathing sped up as Ken trailed gentle kisses down his neck toward his collarbone. "H-He was…" Daisuke spoke breathlessly as Ken adjusted himself in such a way that it created pressure between them, right at the pelvis. He didn't do it again, but it was enough to get his boyfriend a bit more encouraged. "He tried to overthrow the Tokugawa Shogunate!"

"During what period of Japan?" Ken asked tenderly as he ran his fingers through Daisuke's hair, his kisses having trailed all the way over to his boyfriend's other ear now. He kissed it so lightly that he could hardly feel it on his lips, which only seemed to make it more intense for Daisuke.

" _Oh god_ … Um…" Daisuke shut his eyes tight as he tried desperately to remember. "M-Meiji?"

Ken suddenly sat back up and gave him a sad expression. He shook his head with a sigh and started buttoning his shirt back up.

" _No, no_!" Daisuke gasped and shook his head desperately. "It was… It was the Bakumatsu period!"

Ken looked up at him and smiled, unbuttoning his shirt again. He unclasped the rest of the buttons as well, though he did not remove his now-open shirt. "I'll tell you what, my love..." Ken tilted his head to the side and let the shoulder of his shirt fall down a bit, along with his hair. "If you can tell me what his alias was, then I'll let you take my shirt all the way off and you can touch me. They only said it once in the video though, so think carefully..."

"Fuck!" Daisuke gripped at his hair with his hands and groaned, clearly not remembering the name at all anymore. Ken smirked a bit and let the other shoulder of his shirt fall down, exposing the top of his upper body now as the cloth gathered around his elbows. Daisuke stared at him with wide eyes before shaking his head roughly. He really seemed to be struggling, but Ken really couldn't find much sympathy for him.

"It was…" Daisuke grit his teeth. "It was Umetaro… Sai…"

"Sai…?" Ken urged him to continue along that line, implying that he was correct so far. He slowly moved his hands beneath Daisuke's shirt, sliding them up the hot, bare skin until they reached the sensitive nubs on his chest. He hadn't exactly intended to take his teasing this far, but the way Daisuke squirmed around and struggled to remember his history lesson was way too much fun to stop.

"Sai…!" Daisuke whimpered and rubbed at his face with his hands. "Sai… tan… Saitani! Umetaro Saitani!"

"Mmm…" Ken purred in his ear again. "Well, are you going to take my shirt off, or…?"

Daisuke yanked the cloth off and threw it onto the floor, and a few seconds later he did the same with his own. Ken hadn't told him he could do that, but as warm as his boyfriend's skin had been just a few seconds ago, he decided to be a little merciful now.

Ken gasped genuinely as Daisuke's lips went straight to his neck, his tongue exploring his skin as his hands snaked up Ken's back. He loved the feeling, and as much as he wanted to just give in and let Daisuke have his way with him, he knew that he had one last thing to do. So as soon as his boyfriend started tugging at the buckle on his pants, Ken quickly pulled his hands away again with a shake of his head.

"You still haven't told me what happens to Sakamoto at the inn…" Ken trailed off as he scooted forward a bit, bringing the pressure back to their laps. He pressed their bare chests together before leaning down to gently trail his tongue over the other boy's neck again. Daisuke was breathing quickly beneath him now. His heart was racing in his chest at the same time as Ken's, he was sweating quite a bit, and his fingertips were gripping at Ken's hips.

"I-I don't know…" Daisuke swallowed, Ken feeling the way his boyfriend's Adam's apple moved beneath his lips as he went back to planting kisses all over his throat. "Th-The video only just got to that point. It… It didn't show why..."

"Good boy…" Ken pulled away just long enough to reach down and grab the remote off the floor again. He sat back up and faced Daisuke, handing him the remote. "Then click play and pay attention."

"P-Pay attention?!" Daisuke gasped with wide eyes. "How can I do that while you're...?!"

"Well you said you'd do _anything I wanted_ ," Ken reminded him with a much more serious tone of voice, dropping it down to its normal pitch suddenly. "So unless you'd rather hear all about Jun's fight with her _'boyfriend stealing, totally-not-best-friend'_ instead-"

Daisuke immediately hit play on the remote, Ken moving back over to his neck with a victorious smirk. He wasn't gentle about it this time though. Daisuke whimpering beneath him, Ken no longer making any efforts not to leave marks on his sun kissed skin. It wasn't like Daisuke hadn't covered _him_ in hickeys countless times before.

The scene where Sakamoto's enemies from within the government moved to assassinate him at the Kyoto inn played out a lot more slowly than Ken remembered. He'd already seen that video a few years ago, which he supposed was one advantage to being in a private school. Learning at a faster rate than standard schools had come in handy many times. He couldn't deny that he wished it would hurry up already though… Even his high level of patience was starting to wear out now.

Ken's hands roamed over Daisuke's upper body as he used his knees to pin his boyfriend's hands down. Daisuke was biting on his lower lip beneath him, but that was all he was allowed to do. In the meantime, Ken's tongue twirled around over his skin before he nipped at Daisuke's lower jaw. He made a point of letting out each breath as a gentle sigh of pleasure. After a moment or two he giggled with mock-innocence and nuzzled up against him.

Daisuke let out a frustrated growl. He glared at the screen ahead of him, his eyes both focused and distant. Noises had always been what got Daisuke worked up the most, and apparently all of Ken's little sounds had been quite effective so far! His boyfriend was gazing up the ceiling in desperation now, as though praying for some sort of divine assistance. However, Daisuke's yes flew open a second later when Ken took the other boy's index finger into his mouth, leaving Daisuke with quite the innuendo, and quite the blush on his cheeks.

Ken fixed him with the most innocent smile he could muster as he pulled his lips back, sighing softly against the finger. He pulled his head away as soon as he reached the end, but not before twirling his tongue around his fingertip for just a moment.

Daisuke grabbed the remote and shut off the video. "He got killed!" he oversimplified. His voice was rough and even more breathless than before, but Ken found himself feeling a lot less picky about his answers now. His head was swimming, and it was getting difficult to remember why he'd been teasing him so mercilessly.

Ken shook his head and stood up, trying to clear his own thoughts a bit. He didn't get the chance to do anything though, before Daisuke had jumped up and pulled him back up against him. Ken's head spun as Daisuke sucked on his neck a lot more roughly than had been done to him.

A feral groan escaped Daisuke's throat as he backed them up toward the bedroom. As Ken's back hit the door with a firm _knock_ against the wood, his boyfriend fumbling with the knob, he realized in the back of his mind just how much the tables had turned on him. Apparently there were consequences for getting Motomiya Daisuke this riled up, just as there had been consequences for abandoning Ken and leaving him alone with a sick Motomiya Jun.

* * *

Author's Note: Daisuke's history lesson was based off like, three paragraphs I found on Wikipedia about some random samurai lol. No idea how accurate it was, but there ya go.


	3. Implications

**Consequence** Chapter 03: Implications

Author's Note: I didn't actually intend to write this third part until about halfway through the previous chapter. At that point I couldn't resist.

* * *

Daisuke mashed the buttons of his video game controller from his position on the floor, a fierce glare making its way across his face. His character ducked down and punched at the enemy fighter in front of him, but the attack was immediately dodged and followed up by a swift kick to the face from his opponent. Daisuke groaned and tried his maneuver again, but he was met with the exact same outcome as before. His health bar was now halfway depleted, while his enemy's was hardly even touched.

"So..." Ken began with a sarcastic grin on his face. He was lying down on his back with his head in Daisuke's lap, the second game controller held loosely in his hands. He was only vaguely looking over at the screen, which only served to irritate Daisuke further. "You have to _not_ get hit," Ken continued with a cheeky tone, his smirk not fading in the slightest.

Daisuke flashed a glare down at his boyfriend before returning to the game. His character rushed forward and leapt through the air toward Ken's, who was clad in a black martial arts uniform, while Daisuke's was in white. Ken's fighter ducked away from the kick, and when Daisuke landed beside him and started punching furiously, Ken sidestepped and leapt away from each and every attack. Daisuke couldn't help but growl with frustration at the outcome of their game.

Curse Ken for being so good… It was totally unfair! He hardly even liked video games, so why did _he_ have to get all the natural talent?! It was especially frustrating given that Ken only played them in order to make Daisuke happy. Jun certainly wouldn't play any of his two-player games with him, and neither would his parents. Most of the others weren't all that into such things either, with the exception of Taichi. Unfortunately though, he was so busy with college these days that Daisuke didn't get to see him as much.

"You should probably hit me sometimes too," Ken started up again, his voice cocky and alight with mirth as he adjusted his position. He was sitting up a bit more now, with his head leaning against Daisuke's stomach so that he could see the screen better. "Not getting hit is a good start, but it won't win the game, ya know?"

"No way," Daisuke focused at the television, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he rested his elbows on Ken's shoulders. "I had _no_ idea."

"Yeah," Ken smiled as his character began striking repeatedly even as Daisuke tried his best to avoid the hits. Ken seemed to be trying to hold back his laughter as best he could, though a few snickers still made their way out. "Basically the opposite of what you're doing."

"Oh wow," Daisuke bit his lip and tried not to laugh at his boyfriend's teasing. They did this anytime they got competitive and one of them was clearly losing. Daisuke would have done the exact same if their positions were switched, though he'd never admit it out loud. " _Thanks_ ," he said as he rolled his eyes, leaning forward a bit to try and get more _in the zone_. He could do this… Focus! He could still win this stupid game if for no more reason than to defend his dignity!

"You'rewelcome," Ken laughed outright as his character jumped over Daisuke's and kicked him in the back, sending him rolling to the ground. "No, no, see, you weren't listening!" Ken glanced up at him and grinned for a moment before turning back to the TV. "You have to _not get hit_ , that's the first step! We _just_ talked about this!"

"Five," Daisuke smirked even while his character's health dropped to twenty percent. When Ken gave him a questioning little hum, Daisuke continued. "Oh you know what I mean. That's five _remarks_ now." That sneaky weasel probably thought he hadn't been counting!

Ken gasped with fake astonishment. "Oh no! Five?!"

"Six," Daisuke said as he stared at the screen, finally managing to hit Ken's character with a combination of attacks. It didn't last long though; almost immediately he was thrown to the ground again. Daisuke groaned and squinted to try and focus better while his character stood back up, only to be kicked back down to his hands and knees.

"Whatever will I do?!" Ken giggled as his character locked Daisuke's in a chokehold.

"Seven," Daisuke hissed, mashing down on the buttons once again, though even he knew it was pointless now.

Ken laughed as soon as he finished off Daisuke and won the game. He looked up at him with another cheeky smile. "Hey, you did _great_."

"Eight!"

There was a loud gasp and a squeak as Ken was suddenly tickled by Daisuke, who had straddled over him to get the upper hand.

"One…!" Daisuke began counting as he continued his assault, Ken squirming around and failing at escaping. Of course he probably _could_ have gotten away if he'd really wanted to, and even Daisuke knew it. Ken didn't know martial arts the way he used to back in the day, but he certainly hadn't forgotten everything. He could flip the other boy over his head from his current position without too much trouble, but really… where was the fun in that? Tickling each other was half the game.

As Daisuke got closer to the end of his countdown, he began prolonging the time between each number. When three seconds passed between 'six' and 'seven,' Ken started tickling him back. Daisuke gasped and grit his teeth, but he managed to stay firm. He squirmed a bit, but his bitterness about losing helped him stay strong.

Before a clear victor could be named, the timer they'd set up on the coffee table for when the dishwasher would be done started going off. Daisuke stopped and glared over at it. He could have _sworn_ it hadn't even been a half hour yet, let alone sixty minutes! But then again, playing video games had always been that way…

"I guess… I'll go easy on you…" Ken giggled breathlessly and panted for air, and Daisuke couldn't deny that his boyfriend's messy hair and flushed cheeks were quite attractive. "Better get those dishes done…"

"Oh you just wait," Daisuke shook his head as he stood up and made his way into the kitchen. He opened up the dishwasher and began putting everything back in its proper place. He was nearly done with all the chores now, having been working on them steadily over the weekend to make up for leaving Ken alone with Jun. No matter how annoying some of the housework had been, he still upheld that it had been worth it. Jun was bad enough on a normal day, but she was _especially_ needy when she was sick! Just thinking about it stressed him out…

Daisuke shook his head and forced the terrifying thoughts away. Once he was done putting everything back, he smiled and stretched his arms above his head, finally done with the last of the work.

"You're forgiven now," Ken said as he wrapped his arms around Daisuke's waist from behind, and rested his head on his shoulder. Daisuke smiled, and after a moment or two he turned around so that they were facing each other. He leaned his back against the kitchen counter and gave Ken a soft kiss on the lips. He hadn't intended for it to be more than a quick peck, but the warmth of the other boy left him lingering. Ken seemed to be doing the same thing.

Daisuke let his arms rest loosely around Ken's hips as he pressed his mouth against his boyfriend's more firmly. His motions were slow, not trying to instigate anything more physical than what they were already doing. Mr. and Mrs. Ichijouji would be home any minute now, and he doubted Ken would allow anything like that to happen if there was a possibility of someone catching them. Sometimes Daisuke wished that Ken was more adventurous, but then again, it's not like he wanted Mrs. Ichijouji to know about their sex life… Sweet, kind, Mrs. Ichijouji… Having her find out that they were together was one thing, but the _fine details_?

Awkward.

With a sigh of content and without breaking the contact, Daisuke started combing his fingers through Ken's hair. He already knew the other boy would get all stressed out if it wasn't tidied up before his parents got home. Ken had become highly paranoid lately that everyone was suspicious of their relationship. He even though _Jun_ knew they were together! Ken never seemed to have a reason for it other than _just knowing,_ or _it being hard to explain._ Daisuke thought he was being ridiculous.

And besides all that, Daisuke also didn't _care_ who knew. The entire world could find out they were together, their friends and families included, and he'd be fine. Let them judge! But… he knew he just had to be patient and go at Ken's speed.

Ken hummed softly against his lips, pulling back for just a moment before pressing back into it. Daisuke was quite surprised when his boyfriend reached up and started loosening his uniform tie, his warm hands tickling Daisuke's neck a bit. Once it was hanging down more openly, Ken started kissing his exposed collar bone. Daisuke kept one of his hands in his boyfriend's hair and moved the other down to the small of his back with, a lustful sigh escaping his throat.

Another hum from Ken only spurred him forward, the vibrations sending shivers up his spine. Daisuke groaned and pulled him up against his chest, his skin starting to feel hot.

The sound of a key turning in the front door was about the same as having a bucket of ice water poured over them. Ken immediately leapt back and began quickly straightening his clothes and brushing out his hair, Daisuke's hands having mussed it all up again in the heat of the moment. Daisuke just sighed and did the same thing, cursing his bad luck as he tightened up his tie with practiced speed. First the video game, and now this… They _really_ needed to get their own place.

While they could potentially move out as soon as they graduated High School in just a few more months, trying to juggle both college and work at the same time sounded extremely stressful. He'd have to get a job in order to afford the rent, and Taichi was one of many examples of why that was a problem. Based on the stories he'd been told, Daisuke really doubted that he was cut out for that much multitasking. He'd have virtually _no_ social life! In fact, Taichi had ended up quitting his part time job over the last week because of that very reason.

But if he could somehow manage both, then he'd have Ken all to himself…

Daisuke's thoughts were cut off as soon as the door opened and Mrs. Ichijouji stepped inside, her husband following closely behind. He was surprised, however, to find his own parents and Jun coming in shortly after them. Everyone had grocery bags in their hands as they kicked off their shoes and then made their way into the kitchen, Jun closing the door behind them. Ken's parents set their bags down on the counter while Daisuke's placed theirs on the kitchen table.

He hadn't heard anything about his family coming over that day. He thought he was supposed to take the train home? Not that he minded getting a ride instead!

"Ken-chan," Mrs. Ichijouji smiled at her son as she turned to face him. "We got lunch with Daisuke-kun's family on our way home! It was a very last second thing, but they decided to just follow us home and pick him up since they were already out and about anyway. Oh, and aunt Rina-san says hi! She asked all sorts of questions about which college you'll be going to."

"I'll give her a call later, mama," Ken smiled as his demeanor shifted away from the teasing boyfriend that had been standing there just a moment ago, into something deceptively innocent. "It's nice to see you, Mr. and Mrs. Motomiya. You as well, Jun-san." While the Motomiyas beamed at Ken's polite words, Daisuke just wanted to gag… Everyone thought he was so pure, but Daisuke knew the truth! Honestly, if getting attention from strangers didn't make Ken so anxious, he could have been a fantastic actor!

Nevertheless, Daisuke bowed as well and tried to be on his best behavior around his boyfriend's parents. "It's nice to see you!" he said to them.

"You too, Daisuke-kun," Mr. Ichijouji nodded and started taking the food out of the grocery bags. "Did you boys have a fun weekend?"

"Yes, papa," Ken said without so much as a hitch in his voice at the mention of their weekend activities, or the slightest trace of nervousness on his face. He was way too good at that… Daisuke was the worst at lying! It was totally unfair! Why'd he have to go and get the worst genes ever? Anytime he lied or had to keep a secret, he-

"Daisuke, did you get your homework done?" Mr. Motomiya crossed his arms and gave his son a stern look, seeming to already be expecting an answer that he wouldn't like. It was widely known that Daisuke was struggling to pass his history class, and now everyone was on him about it all the time. It was super annoying! He didn't care if it was ' _super easy, and most people had gone over that stuff already_ ,' it was hard for him, damn it!

But as far as the question went, _hah_! His dad was about it eat his words, because he'd _totally_ done… his…!

"H-Homework…?" Daisuke stammered and tried his absolute best not to blush at the question. He was pretty sure he was failing miserably though... He couldn't help but think about the circumstances of that history video, and it just… Oh jeez…! "Y-Yeah! Homework, yeah! We, uh… We did… something. I mean, if _something_ is homework, then yes!"

 _Crap, crap, crap!_

Ken turned around and gave him a _look_ , his eyebrows furrowing just a bit as he stared at him intently. Aside from Jun, everyone else was looking at Daisuke and didn't appear to notice Ken's obvious urging. Jun frowned for some reason though, her eyes flashing back and forth between them. Weirdo…

Daisuke gulped and tried again. "Yes, I did my homework."

"Awe, sweetie…" Mrs. Ichijouji gave him a soft smile. "Are you nervous because you didn't understand it very well?"

"No, no, it's fine!" Daisuke quickly shook his head and put his hands up. He _really_ didn't want to keep talking about this subject! He'd never get out of it if he kept acting so suspiciously though! "I think I figured it all out in the end. Ken helped me with it, so I'm sure it's great!" Daisuke gave a big grin and rubbed the back of his head. There! That was fine, right? He'd just needed a minute to gather himself was all it was. And he needed to stop jittering so much! If he could _just_ stop doing _that_ …!

Daisuke's mother headed back out into the living room to pick up his practice exam, which was lying on the coffee table next to his history video. It didn't have the same questions on it that his actual test would have when they took it on Monday, but it supposedly helped to check your knowledge. Daisuke really hadn't wanted to do it, but Ken had insisted that it would be a _productive way of waiting for the washing machine to get done_. Daisuke still disagreed.

While Ken's parents began putting the groceries away, Mrs. Motomiya continued to scan over the paper with focused eyes. Now that Daisuke thought about it, he recalled his father mentioning once that she'd always loved history when she was a kid. Apparently it had been his mother's favorite subject back in school. Daisuke wasn't entirely sure why he felt so nervous about her reading over his answers. At least Ken seemed to be feeling better as he pulled a bunch of iced teas out of the fridge and began passing them around to their guests with many well-mannered bows.

Once everyone had a drink in hand, Ken opened his own and took a sip, not seeming all that concerned with the conversation anymore.

"Daisuke, you did great!" Mrs. Motomiya gleamed as she held out the paper proudly in her hand. "I'm certain they're all correct! Ken dear, what in the world did you do to get Daisuke to study so well?! He never-!"

Mrs. Motomiya didn't get a chance to continue with her question. Loud coughing and sputtering as Ken choked on his iced tea drew in everyone's attention. His face was beet red, and while Daisuke had no doubts as to why that was, it was clear from the bewildered expressions on everyone else's faces that they weren't following.

Daisuke felt his face heat up almost instantly, and his heart rate followed quickly behind it. If anyone really was as suspicious of them being together as Ken had claimed, then this was _not_ helping! To his dismay, Jun immediately sent a strange look their way. She was looking over at Ken with a curious expression on her face, as though she was trying to read him for something. Oh no… Had Ken been right?! Maybe she really _was_ suspicious! He could _not_ let her figure this out! There was no worse person to discover their secret than _Motomiya Jun_. She'd tell _everyone_ , and then she'd tell even more people after that!

Ken managed to regain some control eventually, but the color of his cheeks hadn't faded in the slightest. Even with his hair hanging down, Daisuke could still see the glow on his face.

"Oh, you know, we just studied!" Daisuke smiled brightly and tried to stand in a more relaxed position, even while his fingers twitched with nervousness. "That's all!"

"But you _never_ study!" Mrs. Motomiya pressed her point.

"Yeah…" Jun crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "How _did_ Ken get you to sit down and pay attention?"

"He, um… He…" Daisuke felt himself clench up more as everyone turned to look at him, but especially at his sister's expression. It was as though she already knew the answer, and was just testing him to see if he'd say it or not. What should he do? What should he say?! The longer he took trying to figure it out, the worse he looked! He didn't want to break his promise to Ken that they wouldn't come out until the time was right, but he didn't know how to get out of this situation anymore! "He…" Daisuke tried again. "He, um… He's very persuasive?"

With a sigh and a shrug, Mrs. Motomiya seemed to concede the point. She likely didn't want to keep trying to decode Daisuke's purposely vague remarks. Jun, however, stared at Daisuke in response with quickly widening eyes. Her gaze flashed back and forth between him and Ken once again, but it only lasted a moment before she froze. At first Daisuke wasn't sure why, until he turned to see what she was looking at. His eyes met with Ken's, and even _he_ felt a chill shoot up his spine.

The expression on Ken's face was something else entirely - both pleasant and calm, and yet somehow seething with implied warning at the same time. His eyes were sharp and focused at Jun while their parents' attention was locked onto her and Daisuke, and his firm posture helped him stand as tall as he possibly could. He managed to surpass Jun's height by a noticeable amount, and it made Daisuke feel incredibly small under such a gaze. Based on the way Jun wilted, so did she.

"Well," Mr. Motomiya spoke up after a moment, "At any rate, feel free to help him study like whenever you like, Ken!"

Jun's trance was lost immediately as she snorted and began cackling, though she desperately tried to cover her mouth to stifle the sound. Daisuke blanched beside her, unable to stop himself from looking over at their parents. They were watching her with bewildered expressions on their faces, including Ken's mother and father, which hopefully meant that they still hadn't caught on. Ken had a hand over his face and seemed to be taking in deep breaths.

Daisuke tried to think fast. He was afraid that anything he said would only make things worse, but he couldn't let it continue like this either. Ken didn't look good at all. He was getting more and more pale every second. He needed to get the attention away from this subject before Ken had a full blown anxiety attack or something! He could… He could, um…!

"Ken?" Mr. Ichijouji asked, to Daisuke's dismay, and he turned to face his son. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yes!" Ken immediately dropped his hand, his eyes widening at the question. "I'm fine!"

"Are you sure?" Mr. Ichijouji pressed with a frown on his face. "You're acting strangely."

Ken froze up beneath his father's gaze. The color drained from his face, and his energy seemed to fall away through the floor. His shoulders visibly sank, and Daisuke could tell that his hands were shaking a bit – hopefully not enough for anyone else to notice. Ken had always hoped that his family would support them, and had tried to believe that he'd be able to tell them about their relationship one day. It was the opinion of the Motomiya family that Ken had feared most of all, supposedly.

However, Daisuke was getting the feeling that actually having his father asking about it face to face, Ken was starting to feel very differently. His resolve was clearly crumbling, and fear was taking over. Daisuke bit his lip as his hands started to twitch again, along with his arms. Mr. Ichijouji looked so serious, with his gaze so sharp and intense... Would he be upset about them being together? For the first time since they'd gotten together, Daisuke was starting to second guess if Ken's father was ready to hear the truth.

Daisuke started to sweat. What if Mr. Ichijouji decided that he was a bad influence on Ken or something? What kind of consequences would that put on their relationship?

Jun suddenly stepped in front of Ken, effectively cutting off Daisuke's train of thought.

"Awe, you don't look like you feel good!" Jun put a hand on his forehead. Her tone of voice was strange… Was she acting? "Did I get you sick?! I'm sorry, Ken! You should definitely go lay down! Here, let me help you!" Jun quickly grabbed Ken's arm and pulled him out of the room, her movements rushed as she avoided eye contact with anyone else. Ken obeyed and let her lead him away without a word of complaint.

Everyone was quiet for a moment or two as they stared after them. Daisuke was speechless, the fear finally draining from his stiff shoulders. Maybe he'd been too hard on Jun lately… He really owed her for that!

"I'm… gonna go grab my stuff!" Daisuke turned around and quickly bowed to both his and Ken's parents, and then followed after Ken and his sister without waiting for a response. As soon as he reached Ken's room, he stepped inside and shut the door behind him, his heart still pounding in his chest from how close they'd come to being found out. He never would have thought he'd feel nervous about it, but…

"Jun?" Daisuke asked as he turned around, and found her standing in front of the dresser beside a paper-white Ken. "Look," he continued, walking over to the two of them. "Jun, please… don't tell them, okay?"

"Jeez, Daisuke," Jun rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "I know we fight a lot, but I'm not _that_ mean!"

Daisuke breathed a sigh of relief, though there was still a part of him that was nervous about it. His sister was easily the worst at keeping secrets out of everyone he knew. Even if she meant well and fully intended to not say something, there had been times where she'd slipped up anyway. But he supposed this was the best he could ask for, and it wasn't like he'd been doing any better out there himself. If not for her, he really didn't know if they would have managed to get out of that situation or not. He'd just have to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"Jun-san, thank you," Ken said with a weak voice. His posture was stiff and he was holding his stomach with his arms. "I sincerely appreciate it."

"Don't worry about it," she said with a shake of her head as she walked over to the door. "Just hurry up, Daisuke. It'll look even worse if you take forever."

As soon as Jun left the room and shut the door, Ken walked over and hugged Daisuke. He gasped at the sudden embrace, but returned the gesture just a moment later. Daisuke sighed at the way Ken's arms seemed to shiver slightly. That must have really freaked him out…

"I'm sorry," Ken rested his head on Daisuke's shoulder, his grip tightening around his torso. "I thought I was ready… I thought I could tell my family." He chuckled sadly and shook his head, "I tried to convince myself to just take a leaf out of your book and ignore my fears the way you always do. Maybe if I told myself enough times that everything would be fine, then it would be. But as soon as I saw my dad looking at me like that, I just…" Ken trailed off and clenched up, seeming to struggle with his words.

"It's alright," Daisuke shook his head. "It was pretty intense."

"He's just really serious a lot of the time," Ken sighed, and he seemed to relax a bit finally. "He's very old fashioned."

Daisuke nodded. He knew that Ken's parents were super traditional, but it was something that he could only really understand in theory. His own family was nothing even remotely close to 'typical,' and he didn't know how to deal with families that weren't loud and rambunctious like his own. He knew he needed to just leave it up to Ken, and he'd handle his own side of it, but it wasn't easy. Sometimes he had the urge to just reach out and hold Ken's hand, even though their parents were right there. He'd nearly kissed him once while Ken's father was nearby, and it was only because Ken had realized what he was doing that he'd been able to avoid the contact before it was too late.

They'd had a very serious conversation about affection after that, and where it was appropriate…

"I just can't believe how close that was!" Ken ran his hands through his hair and took a step back, sighing loudly. He was clearly stressed… "I was totally frozen, I couldn't even speak! If you hadn't managed to talk enough to keep their attention, and if Jun hadn't intervened when she did..."

"Hey …" Daisuke gave Ken a quick kiss on the forehead. "Let's not worry about it anymore, okay? We'll figure it out. If it takes a long time, then that's fine."

Ken nodded, "Right, I'm sorry." He took a deep breath, and it finally seemed to help him calm down a bit. "I'll be alright now. I'll just act like I'm feeling sick for the rest of the night."

"Alright," Daisuke smiled and grabbed his backpack off the floor. Before he left, he gave Ken one last kiss. Just like before though, he'd meant for it to be quick but he suddenly found his legs unable to move. Ken lingered, and he found himself doing the same. He tossed his backpack over his shoulder so he could wrap his arms around Ken's waist and pull him closer. He wanted nothing more than to stay like that for a while longer, but in the back of his mind he knew that he couldn't.

With a sigh of disappointment, Daisuke managed to pull away after a bit. "I'd better get going."

Ken sighed as well, and with all the same hints of sadness. "Yeah, you should."

Daisuke left a quick peck on Ken's cheek, and this time he was able to leave the room without getting sucked into the heat of it again. As he packed up and got ready to leave, he looked over at his parents, and then over at Ken's. One day he and Ken would reach the point where they could tell their families about their relationship – he was sure of it. Until then though, he was content enough with how things were.

… He just needed to stop being such a terrible actor in the meantime.


End file.
